LAHORE: The Environmental Consultants Association of Pakistan (ECAP) held a press conference on Wednesday discussing alleged incompetence and inefficiency within the Environment Protection Department (EPD). They primarily highlighted a tussle among the senior management because of which they believe the department has failed in running smoothly.

Referring to alleged violence on EPD officers, ECAP representatives said arguments between senior officers in the Punjab EPD were not new; they had begun long ago during the tenure of a former director general of the department as a result of which she had to vacate her post.

“The recent situation in Punjab EPD is so bad that a first information report (FIR) has been lodged against a few high-level individuals after which a tussle ensued,” said Nihal Asghar from Seal Laboratories.

According to environmental lawyer Advocate Akhtar Awan, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) received complaints of corruption which it forwarded to the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) for investigation. The CMIT’s report was approved by former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and sent to the EPD secretary for implementation.

The CMIT had stated that it had received complaints from NAB Lahore concerning the EPD. An investigation was initiated based on a letter that a deputy director had sent to NAB urging that a few officers involved in corruption should be investigated. The CMIT had directed the EPD secretary to investigate the said incidents. But when the directions reached DG Asif Iqbal, some senior officers created uproar to divert attention and hinder any investigation.

The ECAP alleged that one of these incidents was an attack on the DG’s car in which it was damaged.

DG Iqbal alleged that a director had damaged his car and hurled death threats, adding that he had also named a deputy director in the FIR he filed. He also alleged that both senior officials nursed grudges against him because of action he intended to take.

“This is the pathetic state of the EPD’s internal affairs where senior officers are attacking each other, meanwhile environmental issues are being ignored,” said Aleem Butt from Seal Lab.

Asghar complained that years-old cases were still pending in environmental tribunals, and that there was no proper structure within the department.

“Take the dust river issue recently,” said Advocate Awan. “It remains the EPD’s job to post readings every day, but since June there have been no updates on their website.”

He also said billions were spent on buying air quality monitors which were nowhere to be seen. “At one point, we could see Air Quality Index readings displayed outside the Town Hall, but not anymore.”

He added that according to the CMIT, action was to be taken under Peeda Act 2006 against the two senior officials.

“We ask the government to take serious note of what is going on,” he said. “If this blame game continues, real tasks of the department will soon be ignored.”

Till now, a charge sheet should have been completed against these two officers, but the matter had been sabotaged by such acts of violence.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2018